Metallic rod-packing.



G. W. G. KING.

METALLIC BOD PAGKIN G.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.19. 1910.

1,017,674. Q Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

IN VEN TOR ay zpwaw A TTORNE Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. G. KING, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED STATES METALLIC PACKING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

METALLIC IROD-PACICIING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. G. KING, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Metallic Rod-Packing, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My present invention relates to the construction of metallic packing rings, such as are used in the stufiing boxes for the piston rods of steam engines and the like. Such rings are commonly made of soft metal, and for 'the most part are made of the alloy or alloys known as White metal. From the character of their composition these rings are easily broken, and in practice frequently do break. A simple fracture of a packing ring or packing ring segment does not greatly, if at all, interfere with the eflet tiveness of the packing, so long as the latter stays in place. The breaking of a ring or ring segment does, ordinarily, interfere greatly, however, with the ease and facility with which the packing may be removed and put in place again, from time to time, and this is particularly true of a packing ring formed of interlocking segments, as disclosed in my prior Patent, Number 914,426. In consequence, packing rings and packing ring segments have heretofore been discarded frequently, in practice, because of fractures interfering with the assembling of the rings when the broken ring or ring segment was not worn, but on the contrary,

aside from the difficulty of putting it in place, was practically as effective, durable and usefulas when first made.

The object of the present invention is to provide animproved packing ring construction whereby the ring is strengthened and the liability of fracture correspondingly reduced, and whereby, moreover, a simple fracture will not prevent a ring or ring segment from beingput in place or removed with practically the same facility as if the soft. metal body of the ring were not broken. This I accomplish by embedding in the soft metal body of the ring or. rin'g segment a woven fabric or mesh of brass wire or the like, which is of such a character as to give the desired reinforcement to the ring or ring segment without making the latter too unyielding, and which will not scratch or score the piston rod or the like packed, if brought into contact therewith.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the present s ecification. For a better understanding 0 the invention, however, and the advantages possessed by it, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter, in which I have illustrated and described one form in which the invention may be embodied.

Of the drawings :Figure 1 is an end view of a packing ring formed in segments, and constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of. Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the packing ring shown in Figs. 1 and 2, partly broken away to illustrate the character of the reinforcing fabric.

In the construction shown in thedrawings, the packing ring is formed of two similar segments AA, each formed with tapered ends A and A. The ends A have convex end surfaces adapted to lie under the concave end surfaces of the tapered ends A, the concave and convex end surfaces being parallel to the axis of the ring, whereby the ring may be taken apart and put together by moving one segment axially with respect to the other, but when in place, the segments interlock to prevent lateral displacement of each other. In so far as above described the packin ring construction illustrated is exactly similar to that disclosed in my prior Patent 914,426.

In the drawings B represents the reinforcing fabric, preferably formed of brass wire, though, of course it will be understood that the exact composition of the fabric material mayvary. It should be so cliosen,

however, as to have a sufficient amount of tensile strength and rigidity, while, on the other hand, it should not be stiff enough to destroy the capacity of the ring to yield and fit snugly about the rod packed, and the fabric should not beof such material that it will scratch or score the memberpacked, in case of contact therewith.

In practice, I prefer to form the rings or ring segments by pouring the metal forming the body of the ring or ring segment into a mold in which has previously been placed the reinforcing fabric strip. I find it advantageous to make the fabric quite open, so that when the body metal is pouredinto the mold it-may run freely through the interstices of the fabric, and in practice I have obtained excellent results with a fabric formed ofbrass wire about one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter, and with the distance between an adjacent pair of parallel wires about one-fourth of an inch. It will be understood, of course, that the dimensions specified are given. by way of illustration, and that they may bevaried through quite a wide range, to meet different conditions.

With a packing ring constructed as described the strength of the ring segments is substantially increased, and the liability of fracture correspondingly decreased. However, with the alloy or alloys commonly used in the manufacture of packing rings it is ractically impossible to so form or rein-.

orce the rings that fracture will not frequen'tly occur. When reinforced as disclosed herein, however, a fracture of the body of the ring does not i erfere. with the assembling and disassemb ing of the pack ing, for the reinforcing fabric holds the broken parts together. This is of peculiar importance with a packin ring formed of interlocking segments, as s own herein, and disclosed and claimed in my said prior patent. r

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A packing ring formed of soft metal and a reinforcing woven wire fabric about which said soft metal is cast.

2. A packing ring formed of interlocking segments each consisting of softmetal and a loosely woven wire fabric or reinforcing strip about which said soft metal is cast.

3. A packing ring formed of interlocking segments, each consisting of soft metal and a loosely woven fabric formed of brass wire about which the soft metal is cast, said fab-' ric .having interstices of substantially greater cross section than the cross section of said wire.

CHARLES W. G. KING.

Witnesses ARNOLD KATZ, D. STEWART. 

